Exploding Experiments, Among Other Things
by Where-We-Are-Just-And-Loyal
Summary: Just another day in Potions. Or not. I suppose we're exploding our potions now, rather than making them. I also have confusing feelings coming out of nowhere. Why is this happening to me?


**Written for**

Around the world in thirty-one days: Australia (Dialogue: "And mine was pretty good. Sort of good. Okay, it was pretty bad")

Jilytober: canon moment, the moment Lily realizes she likes James.

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR, obviously

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You know what I like? I like Potions. I just don't like Potions when James Potter is sitting next to me loudly making obnoxious jokes and farting noises with his best mate, Sirius Black. Okay, maybe they aren't _farting_ noises specifically, but that doesn't stop that they are annoying and distracting. You know what? To hell with my pride. I twisted around in my seat.

"Would you _mind?"_ I snapped. Potter raised an eyebrow.

"What did I do now?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe you are distracting the class? And, that you are supposed to be helping me with this potion since we are sitting at the same table?" I said sweetly.

"I am?" James asked innocently.

"Yes you- oh forget this!" I sat back in my seat and flicked my auburn hair over my shoulder. That boy was insufferable, always running his hand through his stupid black hair and pranking and ugh! He was so infuriating. Okay, okay, mental rant over.

I turned back to the potion and gave it a stir. It was a deep azure, the color of the sky in summer. This was bad. Such an innocent color, and yet it was wrong. It should have been clear yellow, rather like old egg white. Disgusting comparison, I know. Old egg white is nasty. Hey! Maybe it's a sign that I should add doxy eggs.

"Okay, listen up Abbott and Costello-" I began

"What did you just call us?" Sirius asked, looking perplexed.

"Forget it" I waved him off. "Listen, this could need doxy eggs."

"Excuse me, _could_?" James broke in. Sirius sat up straight, an excited look in his silver-gray eyes.

"No no, let's just experiment" he suggested. "I mean, the potion is already ruined, so let's just toss random stuff in the cauldron and see what happens!"

"The potion is not ruined" I said.

"Then why is it bright blue?" James asked skeptically.

"Well the doxy eggs should have the right magical properties to correct the potion" I said, standing up.

As I made my way over to the supply cabinet, I felt a tap on the shoulder and glanced up. "What are you doing, Potter?" I asked.

"Sirius sent me over with a list of possible ingredients for the potion" he grinned crookedly. I sighed.

"Okay, do what you like, just don't kill me." We arrived at the supply cabinets and I nudged the door open, pulling out the doxy eggs. As James reached in past me for whatever random ingredient he was planning on tossing into our potion, our hands brushed and I felt a tingle. I frowned. That was weird. Oh well, out of mind, I hated the boy. He drew his hand out of the cabinet and I saw a mixture of kneazle hairs, powdered unicorn horn, and mint.

"If you stick that hair in alone, the potion will explode you know" I said. James shrugged.

"We'll just have to stick the mint in first then, huh?" I raised an eyebrow and turned to make my way back to my seat.

I sat down to see Sirius dripping ink from his quill into the potion.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. He shrugged.

"Experimenting" I swatted his hand away and dropped a teaspoonful of doxy eggs into the potion. It bubbled up and James shoved a spoon into the rapidly thickening mixture, stirring it vigorously. Sirius grabbed his inkwell and dumped the entire contents into the potion, which was the consistency of wet cement. It smoothed out, but the texture was strange.

"What was that for?" James asked his friend. Sirius shrugged.

"It worked, didn't it? It's no longer bubbling and churning"

"Yes, but now it's the consistency of ooblick" I poked the mixture with the spoon and let the stuff dribble out.

"What's that?" James asked.

"Muggle thing"

"Let's put the mint in and see what it does" Sirius said. No! that will explode it! Don't you two have any clue the consequences of MINT? Wait, I forgot, of course you don't.

"Oh, to hell with it" I said. "Shove the mint in there." James nodded seriously and gently sprinkled the leaves in. I stirred, counting three times clockwise and five counter-clockwise. From across James, Sirius tossed a wadded-up ball of parchment into the potion. For a full five seconds, nothing happened, then BAM! The potion exploded, leaving behind a viciously purple, curdled substance. Not to mention it gave off a _foul_ odor. Something between sewer, shepherd's pie, lilacs, and chicken poop. I pinched my nose as Slughorn hurried over.

"Oh dear" he worried. "What happened here?"

"Sirius tossed a wadded-up ball of parchment in here. It's all our faults though. Something went wrong with the potion so we decided to experiment. I'm sorry, Professor" I apologized. He sighed.

"10 points from Gryffindor. Don't let it happen again" Slughorn turned and waddled off to look at the other students' potions. I turned to the boys. They were grinning.

"You didn't blame it on us!" James exclaimed.

"It's a miracle!" Sirius said. They high-fived. I smiled.

"Well, co-potion exploders, class is over now" I said.

We packed up our bags and headed down the hall to lunch, me trying and failing to lose them halfway there. Well, what was I expecting? Potter has the title of chief Lily Evans stalker. I haven't been minding it as much lately. Maybe it's because he's been politer lately. He is kind of attractive. I see why people might like him. No, he is not cute, I said sternly to myself. You are Lily Evans. You hate James. Maybe less now, but he's still annoying.

"You know, that was a good idea with the mint. It would have fixed the potion if Sirius hadn't dripped ink into it" I broke the silence reluctantly. James chuckled softly.

"Ah yes, Sirius's strange ideas strike again" he said.

"Hey!" Sirius protested. "And mine was pretty good. Sort of good. Okay, it was pretty bad. But hey, not all of us have genius ideas!" James and I smiled at each other. Sirius was crazy. And James was so cute with his glasses and oh bloody mother of Merlin. Why am I thinking this? James is my nemesis. It would be utterly wrong to like him. But I can't help it. Okay, time to run away now.

"Bye guys!" I took off in the opposite direction, waving. James glanced up, a perplexed look on his face.

"Er, okay, bye?" he said. Sorry man, I'm undergoing an existential crisis here and it involves you. I dashed into the nearest bathroom and leaned against the wall.

"Bloody hell" I panted. "I like James Potter."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! R&RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, please.

W-W-A-J-A-L


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